Collections at the farm

This last weekend we spent the night in Langley at the family farm, working on the fence so the new calves don't get out.  My in-law's have about 5 acres that they built their house and barn on about 35 years ago or so.  Dean's mom is a collector of all sorts of things- sewing baskets, china and dishes, and tins is only the start.  There are more collections here and there around the house, in the sewing room or in the garden shed, and it's always like a treasure hunt to find them. 

Weekend projects

I did finally get to sewing a tote bag out of fabric that I had dyed this last summer.  I used an Ikea cushion cover that had a broken zipper on it for the lining.  It feels good to re-use something for another purpose or another life. 
This weekend the boys and I took a trip to the Family farm.  Johnny has a school project that he's working on about documenting a family treasure- he has to interview someone about the treasure, take photos and tell the story behind the treasure.  So out of a few possibilities he chose a friendship ring given to his Great-Grandmother as she left Russia to come to Canada in 1924.  We looked through old letters from family that stayed behind during Soviet Russia.  One of her brothers who was thought to have died in a work camp during Stalin's reign was re-united with our family about 12 years ago, only a few years after the death of his sister. 
I particularly liked the wallet that the ring was found in- such a great design.  Each of those corner flaps opened up to a pocket.
And check out the 'Rules for the baby' Great-grandma Dahl got when she had one of her son's in 1949.  'Most important of all.  Leave Baby alone.'  It really is a wonder babies survived with advice like that!

2 by 2

 

Here's a few photos from the garden house at the family farm which seems to have 2 of nearly everything.  

We are enjoying our holidays (filled with lots of trips to the beach, farmer's markets and even a drive-in movie) and I was hoping to put a few posts up but forgot the cord that downloads my photos to my laptop. Plus the internet connection is a little slow out here so I'll post them next week. 

Stacks of stuff

Scenes from the 'Garden House' at the Hobby Farm, containing a veritable treasure trove of stuff all stacked up and hanging from the rafters.  Little glimpses into eras gone by, reminders of things that were once useful, but are no longer needed.
P.S. unfortunately those roller-skates are a size 10 and my feet are a size 8 otherwise those would have come home with me to try out for a while!

Country Fun at the Hobby Farm

Dean grew up on a 5 acre plot of land about 1 hour from Vancouver in Langley.  We go and visit my in-laws hobby farm quite frequently, especially on long weekends.  In summer, the boys sometimes get to stay over for a couple of days, allowing me to get a little more work done. Garden gates leading into wild gardens, saskatoon berries, tire swings and a trampoline are just a few things that take us far away from our city life and make us feel like we've just taken a trip to the country.  See last year's pics from the farm here.